Electric railway.



ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

APPTJOATION FILED MAR. 2. 1906.

DQ Ky,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908. L. H. THULLBN.

No. 890,198. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908. L. H. THULLEN.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

APPLI ATION FILED M R. 2. 1906.

0 A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnrcn.

LOUIS HQ THULLEN, OF EDGEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNOR TO'THE UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SVISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

no. scones.

- means for indicating the electrical potential .JOIKiQiJIOIl, of asection of a working conduc tor for the car propulsion current. In manyinstances it is necessary to form the work mg conductor mto sections orto break its continuity'at points. Under such circumstances it isadvisable that some means be provided which will indicate to a motormanwhether or, not there is sufficient potentialin the sectional conductorwhich he is approaching tooperatehis'car or train, or whether thedifference in potential between the two SGCiJiOIlSlS excessive, in whichcase the current will blow fuses in his train or cause other trouble.

I will describe an electric railway embodying in invention and'thenpoint' out the novel eatu-res thereof in claims.

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 a diagrammatic'al view of aportionof a ran- -'Way, sections of a- Working conductor for carpropulsion current and a means for v'indicatmg whether or not potentialexists in the sections of the feeder conductor; Fig. 2 is a view similarto Fig. 1 but indicating a different condition. Fig- 3 is .a viewsimilar to 1 but illustrating amodification.

imilar reference characters designate corresponding parts in all ofthe'figures.

tReferring to the drawings-A designates a portion" of arailway, thetrack or running rails '92-, a? are included in or form part of thereturn path or conductor for the car'propulsion current. :The trackrails, bne "onboth Zmayor may not bedivided byinsulation to .forr'nhlocksections for signaling purposes.

B designates a, working conductor, third rail or trolley and-b, b,b,;sections thereof.

. B designates a power generator for supplyingthe working sections b, 6,I) through -c"onductors B B etc. These sections may or may not be ofequal len th, as'desired. In "some casesit may be preferable toonly'sec= tion the conductor B at points where conditions are such-thata continuous conductor Specification of Letters Patent. Applicationfiled March 2,

Patented June 9, 1908. 1906. Serial No. 303,774.

could not-be used. The working conductor B whether jcontinuous orinsections is designed to have an electrical potential substantially thesame at all points (not c'onsid ering the line drop) and the powerstation and sub-power stations areso arranged as to accomplish this.Consequently, should the working conductor B be; divided into sections,all the sections thereof would have the same otential. In this event themeans which provide at the section points will be operated or balancedto indicate this condition and theserneans will preferably'be adjustedto or protected against the line drop. Should, however, this conditionof equal or substantially equal electrical potential between the sectionchange or vary for any cause, the means (my invention) will indicatethis fact.

The means which I employ comprises a visible or audible indicator C and.a relay or translating device 0 for controlling the indi cator. Asshown, the indicator 0 is in the form of a semaphore blade and isactuated b a suitable automatic mechanism a of whic there are many. Theoperating circuit which, for the mechanism c includes a sourceof-current, is controlled by the rela C .I/Vhen the local or operatingcircuit 1s closed, the indicator O assumes a position indicating to themotorman that the sections of the feeder are or nearly are, of the sameand suflicientpotential to operate his car or train. This condition isillustrated in Fig. 1. When the operating circuit is open, the indicatorassumes a position indicating to the motornian thatthe potential ofthesection is not the same as the other sections of the feederconductor.

, .The' relay C is of a type of motor comprising afield c, and anarmature c which, as shown, comprises two windings of the same number ofturns 0 0 The armature c is arranged to rotate or oscillate within thefield. When equal currents are flowing through these windingssimultaneously the armature will assume one position relatively tothefield and when unequal currents are flowing through the windingssimultaneously the armature assumes-another position relatively'zto thefield In'the osition assumed by the armature when equa or substantiallyequal currents are flowing through the windings '(see Fig. 1") an arm 0carrying spring contacts is made to keep closed the operating circuit oftheindicator C, and inthe position assumed by the armature when une ualcurrents are flowing through the windings the arm is made to open theoperating circuit of the indicator 0. One winding 0" is in'circuit witha section Z) of the working conductor and the return conductor (thetrackway),

and the other winding 0 is in circuit with an adjiacent section b andthe return conductor. 11 Figs. 1 and 2 the windings" c of one relay C isconnected with a section I), while the wlnding c of another relay C isin circuit withthe same section. This is immaterial, for the-reason thatshould the potential of that section drop for any reason, the arma-"tures' of the relays will move to open the opcrating circuitirrespective of the direction of movement'of the armature. In Fig. 2,

otential of the middlesection has dropped, y'reaso'n of excessiveleakage, short circuit or any other cause, or raised above its normalvpotential for any cause, thereby producing more or less current, in thewindin s of' the turn for the current of the section.

- operated by a winding 0.

relays with which it is connected than that .existingin the otherwindings, thus roducmg a movement of the armatures re atively to thefield to open theoperating circuits of the indicators, v

. In Fig. 3 instead of having two windings of the same number of, turnsin a relay device, I

vprovide one winding 0 to operate the indi cator C, which winding is incircuit with a section. of the feeder conductor and the re- Included in.this' circuit is a movable contact iece c The win lllgS are soproportioned that both will operate at the same potential. The win-dingois in circuit withan adjacent section b of the working,

the

conductor and the return' forthe current of the section. In this form ofthe invention should the otential of the middle section b fall materialy below that of the adjacent sec-- tions, the windings in circuit withthat section: would be unable to hold the contact o volt meters. oradifferentially wound v0lt-- meter. Such volt meters could-control anaudibleor visible indicator, or the pointers of such meters may be theindicator.

What I claim as my invention'is: In combination with two sections of aworking conductor of an electric railway, of an indicator for indicatingthe potential condition of the two sections, B/CII'GUIt for saidindicator, a relay for controlling said circuit comprising two windings,one being in cir cuit with one section and a' return for the current inthe section, and the other winding be ing incircuit with the othersection and the return for the current in the section.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this s ecification'in thepresence of two subscribe witnesses.

LOUIS HITH LLEN. Witnesses HENRY R. BAUER. J. A. RENNIE.

